Clothes-line reel.



PATBNTED JUNE 16, 1903;

No. 738,868. G. A. F. G. BROWN.

CLOTHES LINE REEL. APPLICATION Hum we. 16, 1902.

I INVENTO/i C haw-1E5 AF. ELIE-rum,

1m MODEL.

WITNESSES:

\J/Zg ATTORNEY No. 730,868. Patented June 16, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. F. G. BROWN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO FRANCIS M. GLASGOW, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CLOTH ES-LINE REEL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart Of Letters Patent N0. 730,858, dated June 16, 1903.

Application filed August 15, 1902- Serial No. 119,731. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: having one end mounted in the side of the Beit knownthat LOHARLESA. F. G. BROWN, casing and the other end mounted in a para citizen of the United States of America, retition 9, extending vertically from the top to siding in Kansas City, in the county of Jackthe bottom of the casing 1. Outside the cas- 55 son and State of Missouri, have invented a ing 1 on the shaft 8 is secured a crank-arm new and useful Improvement in Olothes-Line 10, with which the drum 4 may be rotated in Reels, of which the following is a specificaeither direction by means of the gear-wheels tion, reference being had therein to the acand shafts already described. Encircling the companyingdrawings,formingapartthereof. shaft Sand secured at one end thereto is a 60 10 My invention relates to improvements in coil-spring 11, the other end of which is seclothes-line reels. cured to the casing by means of-the partition The object of my invention is to provide a 9, to which the spring is secured by a pin 12. reel mechanism by meansofwhich the clothes- Two pawls 13 and 14, respectively, are pivline may be automatically wound on a reel oted totheinnersideof the casing, one ateach 65 15 mounted in a protecting-casing, to beret'ained side of the gear 7, and adapted each to engage there until again required for use. the teeth of the said gear-wheel to prevent My invention provides, further, a spring its rotation in either direction. As but one adapted to be wound up when the clothespawl can be engaged at a time, I provide line is unwound from the reel, the tension means by which one can be disengaged from 70 thus imparted to the spring being employed the gear 7 simultaneously with the engageto rewind the clothes-line on the reel. ment with the gear of the other pawl. To do Myinvention provides, further, novel lockthis, a rod 15 is pivoted at its ends to the two ing mechanism for preventing the rotation in pawls 13 and 14, respectively. An arm 16 on either direction of the reel and means-by therod extendsatrightanglestheretothrough' 75 which the reel may be released from such aslot 17, provided in one side of the casing 1. locking mechanism, so as to be rotated in the Any suitable cover may be used to cover direction desired. the slot 2 in the roof of the casing. In the My invention provides, further, certain drawings Ishow a cover 18, pivoted to the novel features of construction hereinafter roof or top of the casing by means of two 80 fully described and claimed. lugs 19, with which the top is provided.

In the accompanying drawings, which illus- The casing 1 is supported in a vertical potrate my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevasition on a post 20 by means of a lug 21 on tion View of the inclosing casing and a porthe lower end of the casing, through which tion of the clothes-line. Fig. 2 is a front elelug extends and engages the post 20 a screw 8 vation View of the same, the forward side of 22. The rear side of the casing is also prothe casing being removed. Fig. 3 is a side vided withatransverseslot 23, throughwhich elevation view with the side of the casing reis inserted a bolt 24, which has one end semoved. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view cured to the post 20. The shape of thehead taken on the dotted line a h of Fig. 2. of the bolt 24is preferably oblong-and of asize o 40 Similar characters of reference indicate which prevents the bolt-head passing through similar parts. the slot 23 unless the casing be turned at right l is the casing, comprising a rectangular angles to its normal upright position.

box preferably and provided with a slot in In the post 20, above the casing 1, is secured the top, as indicated by 2, for the passage of a screw eye 25, through the I eye of which 95 the clothes-line 3, one end of which is secured passes the clothes-line 3. The outer end of the to a drum 4, mounted on and rotatable with clothes-line may be provided with a loop 26,

a transverse horizontal shaft 5, the ends of adapted to engage a hook (not shown) which which are rotatably mounted in the sides of is mounted in a suitable support therefor.

the casing. Secured to the shaft 5 is a spur In operating my invention, the parts hav- I00 gear-wheel (3, which meshes with a spur gearing been assembled as described, the clotheswheel 7, rotatable with a horizontal shaft 8, line 3 is drawn through the slot 2 and the eyebolt or screw-eye and secured by the loop 26 in the desired position. Before the line is thus drawn the rod.15 is so shifted by the arm 16 that the pawl It will be disengaged, as shown in Fig. 3. The pawl 13 being engaged with the gear 7 will prevent the retraction of the gear, and consequently prevent the drum from retracting. To tighten the line more than can be done with the pulling power of the spring, the arm 16 and rod 15 are moved to the left as viewed in Figs. 8 and 4, thus releasing the pawl 13, at which time the crank-arm 10 is turned to the left, thus rotating the drum so as to pull the line tight. The pawl 14 being in engagement at this time prevents the drum retracting from the pressure placed upon the line. When it is desired to take the line in, the loop is removed from its place of engagement, and the pawl 13 being released permits the spring 11 to rotate the drum to the right, thus winding the line up on the drum. As above stated,

the function of the pawl 13 is to prevent retraction of the drum in case the line should be dropped while pulling it out preparatory to putting it up. The function of the pawl 14, as also stated, is to hold the line tight after it has been strung in position, which function of course could not be performed by pawl 13. The cover 18 may then be placed over the slot 17 to prevent moisture or dirt entering therethrough into the casing.

My invention may be varied in different ways without departing from its spirit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a clothes-line reel, of a shaft on which the reel is mounted, a second shaft, two gear-wheels meshing with each other and mounted one on each of said shafts, a support for the said shafts, two pawls mounted on said support and engaging in opposite directions the teeth of one of said gear-wheels, a rod pivotally engaged to each of said pawls, means for moving the said rod for the purpose of alternately engaging the pawls with the said gear-wheel, and means for rotating the reel in either direction, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a casing provided in one side with a slot, of two shafts rotatably mounted therein, a crank on one of said shafts,two intermeshing gear-wheels mounted one on each of said shafts, a reel mounted on one of said shafts, a spring secured at one end to one of the said shafts and suitably supported in the casing at the other end, two pawls pivoted to the casing and engaging in opposite directions the teeth of one of said gear-wheels, and a rod pivoted to the said pawls and provided with an arm extending through the said slot in the casing, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the casing of a rotatable shaft mounted therein, ,of a reel mounted thereon and rotatable therewith, a second shaftrotatably mounted in the casin g, two gear-wheels mounted one on one of said shafts and the other on the other shaft, the said gear-wheels meshing with each other, a coil-spring mounted on the second shaft and secured at one end thereto the other end being suitably held, two pawls pivoted to the casing and engaging one of the gear-wheels in opposite directions, a rod pivoted to the two pawls respectively and provided with an operating-arm, and a crank secured to one of the said shafts, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. F. G. BROWN.

\Vitnesses:

WARREN D. HOUSE, G; W. DUVALL. 

